7 Gaze into the Landscape: Can Sensory Immersion, Landscape Reading and . . .
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the representation, as this could alter the document’s reading scale. A few details
are noted in box form to avoid “overcrowding” the general block diagram. A few
quick drawings of a fish or cetacean may be added if they are encountered.
6. The block diagram drawing is a black and white line drawing in A4 or A3 format,
based on the notes taken during the dive. The final perspective is chosen and
textures are sketched to distinguish the various typical environments. Appropriate
shading is used to emphasize the relief and bring out the textures. Places that have
not been thoroughly explored are shown in as much detail as the rest based on
advice provided by the pilot fish. Colour is then added to the black and white
diagram using software to emphasize depth and perspective. Behind the overlay
shaded in increasingly intense blue for depth, the colour and light of certain
designs (rocks, Posidonia grass, etc.) distinguish the environments. When the
site is near the coast, the representation and colouring of the land surface serve as
a measure. A miniature representation of a boat and its mooring point mark the
water’s surface and will be important reference points for reading the diagram.
7. The final touches and last corrections are added through successive discussions.
Changes are often made on the computer file (an extra crack, a change of angle
of a rocky peak, a Posidonia grass bed that needs expanding, etc.). The main
depths are indicated on the diagram itself to allow divers to plan their dive and the
relevant stages. The North is marked next to the block based on the perspective.
The situation map locates the site in relation to the coast and the boat’s departure
point. A text that is both geographic and poetical presents the site overall and in
detail, highlighting the specific and outstanding features of the dive. This sensory
description of the underwater landscapes goes beyond a mere description of the
environments and the actual setting, giving the sketch a true landscape dimension.
This kind of representation has been produced using this method for several sites.
In Campomoro in Corsica, the Torra Plongée diving club, where the method was
developed, uses it to explain sites to amateur divers before they dive. The explanation
is often given on the boat once the diving teams have been formed and just before
they plunge (Fig. 7.7).
On the Galite Islands in Tunisia, a block diagram was developed as part of a
landscape design assignment conducted by the Coastal Protection Agency for the
marine protected area project initiated by the Tunisian Ministry of the Environment
and Sustainable Development’s Coastal Protection and Planning Agency (C.P.P.A.).
Surveys were provided for the work by the Andromede Oceanology Thétis office.
The data remained very general across the underwater trail (Fig. 7.8).
For the STARESO scientific research centre, an experiment is being conducted
with Pierre Lejeune to represent the Revelatta headland site in two complementary
forms: a conventional “bird’s eye view” block diagram and another “fish eye view”
diagram, closer to what a diver perceives. The diagram is drawn from a viewpoint
located under the water’s surface. A diver is immediately “in his element” and can
plunge into the representation as if in water. However, being more inspired by the
context, such a representation is more difficult to develop and to read. It is less
complete, and conceals entire sections of the site explored (Fig. 7.9a and 7.9b).
109
the representation, as this could alter the document’s reading scale. A few details
are noted in box form to avoid “overcrowding” the general block diagram. A few
quick drawings of a fish or cetacean may be added if they are encountered.
6. The block diagram drawing is a black and white line drawing in A4 or A3 format,
based on the notes taken during the dive. The final perspective is chosen and
textures are sketched to distinguish the various typical environments. Appropriate
shading is used to emphasize the relief and bring out the textures. Places that have
not been thoroughly explored are shown in as much detail as the rest based on
advice provided by the pilot fish. Colour is then added to the black and white
diagram using software to emphasize depth and perspective. Behind the overlay
shaded in increasingly intense blue for depth, the colour and light of certain
designs (rocks, Posidonia grass, etc.) distinguish the environments. When the
site is near the coast, the representation and colouring of the land surface serve as
a measure. A miniature representation of a boat and its mooring point mark the
water’s surface and will be important reference points for reading the diagram.
7. The final touches and last corrections are added through successive discussions.
Changes are often made on the computer file (an extra crack, a change of angle
of a rocky peak, a Posidonia grass bed that needs expanding, etc.). The main
depths are indicated on the diagram itself to allow divers to plan their dive and the
relevant stages. The North is marked next to the block based on the perspective.
The situation map locates the site in relation to the coast and the boat’s departure
point. A text that is both geographic and poetical presents the site overall and in
detail, highlighting the specific and outstanding features of the dive. This sensory
description of the underwater landscapes goes beyond a mere description of the
environments and the actual setting, giving the sketch a true landscape dimension.
This kind of representation has been produced using this method for several sites.
In Campomoro in Corsica, the Torra Plongée diving club, where the method was
developed, uses it to explain sites to amateur divers before they dive. The explanation
is often given on the boat once the diving teams have been formed and just before
they plunge (Fig. 7.7).
On the Galite Islands in Tunisia, a block diagram was developed as part of a
landscape design assignment conducted by the Coastal Protection Agency for the
marine protected area project initiated by the Tunisian Ministry of the Environment
and Sustainable Development’s Coastal Protection and Planning Agency (C.P.P.A.).
Surveys were provided for the work by the Andromede Oceanology Thétis office.
The data remained very general across the underwater trail (Fig. 7.8).
For the STARESO scientific research centre, an experiment is being conducted
with Pierre Lejeune to represent the Revelatta headland site in two complementary
forms: a conventional “bird’s eye view” block diagram and another “fish eye view”
diagram, closer to what a diver perceives. The diagram is drawn from a viewpoint
located under the water’s surface. A diver is immediately “in his element” and can
plunge into the representation as if in water. However, being more inspired by the
context, such a representation is more difficult to develop and to read. It is less
complete, and conceals entire sections of the site explored (Fig. 7.9a and 7.9b).